Former Argentina international Juan Román Riquelme retires

Juan Román Riquelme has retired from football at the age of 36. The attacking midfielder made 51 appearances for Argentina, scoring 17 goals.

Best known for his spells with Boca Juniors and Villarreal, Riquelme also played for Barcelona and Argentinos Juniors and had recently been linked to clubs in the MLS and Paraguay.

“I have decided to no longer play football,” he said. “Now I am just a fan. I will go and suffer in the stadium. I am very pleased with the career I had.

“I enjoyed football to the maximum. I hope the people have enjoyed it alongside me. I tried to have a good time. I tried to give everything I could to fans of Boca, Argentina, Villarreal and Barcelona, in the youth teams and the full team.

“I am someone who makes decisions calmly, who thinks a lot. It’s clear now that I’ll be on holiday, I’ll have fun, enjoy time with my children. From now on my football life ends and a new life starts. Let’s see what it holds.”

Riquelme made his professional debut in 1996 for Boca Juniors at the age of 18 and almost exactly a year later, made his debut for Argentina against Colombia. He appeared at only one World Cup in 2006, but captained his country to Olympic gold in 2008.

Known for his long-range shooting, set-piece delivery and dribbling skills, Riquelme won five league titles with Boca over two spells and also helped the Buenos Aires-based club to three Copa Libertadores championships.